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I'm a little surprised that you feel THAT much more positively about 2012. Granted, you did get several ROTJ figures you were after, but your comments last year about having almost no figures and no vehicles to look forward to, you only have a handful of figures in 2012 that you really sounded excited about.

Way back in 1983, my brother and I owned the Return of the Jedi storybook. At that point in time we didn't own any action figures at all; but I started to fall in love with the Star Wars universe through that book and I read it from cover to cover almost every day. As I tried to memorize every photo, I would pick out characters that I liked and wanted action figures of. Many of them where made in the original vintage line, like the Gamorrean Guard, Chewbacca, R2-D2, Ackbar, Wicket; but I had to wait until the modern line debuted to get four of my top choices: Darth Vader with a removable helmet, Ephant Mon, Weequay Skiffmaster, and Kithaba. Of course, the names "Weequay Skiffmaster" and "Kithaba" didn't exist back then. I actually thought that the Skiffmaster's name was "Queeqay" and I simply called Kithaba the "bulldog Skiff Guard", but I digress. As you might have guessed, Kithaba was the last character from my very first Star Wars wish list to be made into an action figure. It took 29 years, but that list has finally been completed. I think I underestimated just what an impact that milestone would have on me.

I started to notice a few years back that as I was able to scratch names off my wish list, there weren't necessarily other names moving in to take their place. Now that wishlist has emptied out completely of never-before-made figures. All that's left is Barada, but since we've had 3 versions of his character made, it's just not the same as one who has never been immortalized in plastic before.

Sure there are other characters that I think would be neat to see made into figures, but nothing else has a direct link to a childhood memory. Every single character that I pointed to, when I was between the ages of 10-13 years old, and said "I want to see a toy of that guy!" has been made in one form or another. So 2012 saw a very significant chapter come to a close in my Star Wars collecting life.

If Kithaba had been the only figure released this year, the impact would still have been the same for me; but right now I'm kind of struggling to find anything to look forward to. As a result, my interest in Star Wars seems to be fading exponentially from month to month.

Originally Posted by JediTricks

I did think - and say - that the converted Ep 1 3D release in February would have virtually no impact at all, even before 3D ticket sales started slumping across the board. If it had gotten a summer or Christmas release, it might have had light impact with kids, but it's a tough sell even then due to the backlash from the overhyping and shock of Jar Jar-type decisions of the '99 release - TPM and Jar Jar are essentially the '99 version of "New Coke".

Over on Rebelscum, people were seriously expecting to see the same level of excitement and anticipation over Ep1 3D as we saw over Ep1 back in 1999 (before anyone actually saw the movie).

However, when I envision store shelves clogged with unsold Episode 1 merchandise, then I realize that those people who wanted 2012 to be a repeat of 1999 actually got their wish.

Originally Posted by JediTricks

Honestly, I think unless your chief complaint with the Biker Scout is the deco, your criticisms seem pretty hollow since you've never seen one in person and they don't jive at all with the experiences I've heard from others, not to mention my own. It is an all-new sculpt, and it's way better than the POTJ figure or the tiny-headed, big-shouldered '06 figure.

I'm kind of giving the toy the benefit of the doubt for being the best vehicle of the year. I told myself that I wanted to wait until I heard some actual in-hand reviews to decide if I was going to seek it out. I don't know, maybe I'm being so critical of it because I actually do want it, but I'm trying to convince myself that I don't. I'll consider taking a trip down to TRU and looking for one this weekend.

"To be concerned about being grown up, to admire the grown up because it is grown up, to blush at the suspicion of being childish; these things are the marks of childhood and adolescence… When I became a man I put away childish things, including the fear of childishness and the desire to be very grown up." - C.S. Lewis

I will respond to the rest here later, but firstly I have 2 things on my mind...

- "New Coke" is just Pepsi, they simply aped Pepsi's sweeter taste trying to appeal to a younger audience.

- It's being reported that Build-A-Droid is officially canceled. To be honest, this changes my outlook on 2013 considerably for the worse - no Clone Wars figures worth interest, no Realistic figures worth interest, no Vehicles worth interest, what the hell is the point of having the Star Wars license if you don't put out Star Wars licensed product?!? Coming off 2 of the worst years in collecting since 1996, where we've lost more collectors in our community than ever before, only to put the brakes on every expression worth a damn is a disaster. How does Hasbro really expecting this brand to stay alive on life support for yet another 8 months or so after this much trauma?!? I dunno, this feels like a major defeat, I wanted to give Hasbro every chance to turn it around, but instead they have walked the brand in front of a train.

Darth Vader is becoming the Mickey Mouse of Star Wars.

"In Brooklyn, a castle, is where dwell I"

The use of a lightsaber does not make one a Jedi, it is the ability to not use it.

Well, I bought the Speeder Bike today. They were pretty plentiful at the TRU in Springfield. I didn't take advantage of the "buy one, get one 50% off" special because I thought it would be better to only risk $24 on a toy I wasn't sure about rather than $36 on two toys I wasn't sure about (if they had had the Ewoks pack in stock, I probably would have bought that). The way the toy was presented in the packaging was not blowing me away at all and the "weathering" paint is the worst I've ever seen and is probably the best argument for why Hasbro should just stop attempting to apply "weathering" to their toys with paint. The Biker Scout himself just looks like Cheapsville from head to toe.

I took the toy home and told myself that if it didn't totally blow me away once I got it out of the packaging, then I was packing it back up and returning it next week. So, I got the Bike and the Scout out of the box and put them on the stand and the first thought that ran through my head was, "Why did I NOT take advantage of the 'buy one, get one 50% off' sale? This thing is amazing!" This is definitely one of those instances where the overall coolness factor of the toy completely overshadows any individual shortcomings. So, I think this thing has definitely earned a "best vehicle of 2012" vote from me.

"To be concerned about being grown up, to admire the grown up because it is grown up, to blush at the suspicion of being childish; these things are the marks of childhood and adolescence… When I became a man I put away childish things, including the fear of childishness and the desire to be very grown up." - C.S. Lewis

I've never been too huge a fan of video games in general (not just Star Wars ones), at least not on the level I'm a fan of the figures. I still play Battlefront II with some regularity, and have been known to break out the SNES trilogy games from time to time, though most other games are played through once or twice (especially the highly replayable LEGO series) and then not really touched much after that. 1313 looks interesting, but I'm not sure how much of that is just interest in the world itself, and we're already going to visit the Coruscant underworld in The Clone Wars this season so I may get my fill there.

I see. I was playing Battlefront II for a long while, but slowly it faded away as the PS3 got enough good games to steal my attention. I still love the concept and can't imagine why Lucasarts has made it into such a massive problem with all the foot-dragging and company-shifting on the probably-vaporware SW:BF3.

I just finished playing Uncharted 2 for PS3 and that game is amazing, it's a stunningly beautiful world but also an immersive adventure gameplay style, certainly not just "there because it's Coruscant" for me, in fact I wouldn't care if it world-hopped a la TFU, it's the Star Wars type of adventure I crave.

Thankfully I only bought one or two at $10 and the rest were on some sort of sale, ranging from TRU's multiple buy-two-get-one-free sales to Brian's Toys' $4.99 sale, so it's not quite as nutty as it seems. (It's close, though.) Hasbro seems hung up on keeping his hands neutral and not giving him bulky wrist articulation, but you're right, an alternate set of arms - or even just an alternate left arm - would have been ideal. I've been a proponent of having a Battle Droid that can hold the blaster properly, but I ended up loving this one anyway since it's so damn cool in every other respect.

Still a lot of coin, but I am glad you got most on sale.

I think they told me at Comic-Con the thin wall design of the arms makes mass-produced articulation that meets Hasbro quality and safety standards impossible, and we discussed the idea of alternate arms but it was a casual conversation so I don't remember what came of that. I know they're gunshy about doing more alternate body parts, that it takes away from the toy-ness, but in this case I really can't think of a better, easier, or even cheaper way of achieving a screen-accurate Battle Droid ready for battle.

I agree. The Biker Scout is great, but even if it isn't to your 100% satisfaction, you're doing yourself a disservice by not getting the set since the Speeder Bike is amazing. Some photos online I've seen of the Biker Scout have been posed extremely poorly, but if you do it right he looks great on or off the bike.

IMO, this is easily the best Biker Scout sculpt, but having googled the set, I do see what you mean about horrible poses ruling the day, why does nobody just stand the guy up and start from there??? They generally seem to have him posed like he just took a dump in his armor. Everything is sculpted more accurately and more to human proportions, yet a diagonal hip hinge seems to make people think it's hard to pose.

Originally Posted by Tycho

Does that mean you'd want better pictures on the cardbacks? Different characters never made before - like Nyrat Agira? Or more PT characters never carded vintage-style before?

The whole packaged experience is looking backwards, that is not a new product, it's not bright, it's not dynamic, it's terrible at showing off the product, there's no room for pack-ins or better accessories, it's difficult to put on pegs and sift through, the card back has no character details and even after the redesign doesn't look all that good, the giant picture is selling characters that haven't been on the big screen in at least 7 years - focusing on the character alone isn't enough right now - so the whole look is only there to appeal via nostalgia. And putting new characters on old-style cards really doesn't help, it's still a line trying to sell to people in the 1970s, not the 2010s.

You are on to something - but also Both Sides in a conflict have to have Big vehicles if we're to keep up the arms race and make it fun. Obviously the Republic has AT-TEs, Turbo Tanks, etc The Separatists need things too - even if the Clone gear (eventual Imperial gear) is more cool. The MTT is what there was to work with. Hailfires, Tank Droids, AATs, and even Octoparras are not super-size vehicles.

The MTT isn't a ship-to-ship battle vehicle, and in its big screen battle it didn't shoot a single shot and didn't face off against another large vehicle (unless you want to count the Fambaa, which I don't). The clones have vehicles, the droids have sheer numbers AND variety.

You combined discussion about the K-wing and the MTT here which didn't work. The MTT is the subject, and Hasbro has already made and released it. So they got it to market. Now a positive attitude will help to SELL it since it's there already. You're exactly right about a K-wing, but I'm not even lobbying for it (Let's get the Sailbarge!!!) I'm only saying about the bomber - that I think it's cool - but not even on the same level and multi-purpose-use as the MTT - like as an enemy large vehicle like the BAT-AT since most of our large vehicles are "good guy:" TurboTank, AT-TE, BMF....

I didn't combine anything, you had the MTT and K-wing in the same paragraph. Your YIR comments involved a Gungan Sub, Republic Cruiser, Kaminoan clone facility craft, Medical Frigate, and K-wing all as a response to my claim that "nobody wanted the MTT", read your own comments again.

Originally Posted by bigbarada

Way back in 1983, my brother and I owned the Return of the Jedi storybook. At that point in time we didn't own any action figures at all; but I started to fall in love with the Star Wars universe through that book and I read it from cover to cover almost every day. As I tried to memorize every photo, I would pick out characters that I liked and wanted action figures of. Many of them where made in the original vintage line, like the Gamorrean Guard, Chewbacca, R2-D2, Ackbar, Wicket; but I had to wait until the modern line debuted to get four of my top choices: Darth Vader with a removable helmet, Ephant Mon, Weequay Skiffmaster, and Kithaba. Of course, the names "Weequay Skiffmaster" and "Kithaba" didn't exist back then. I actually thought that the Skiffmaster's name was "Queeqay" and I simply called Kithaba the "bulldog Skiff Guard", but I digress. As you might have guessed, Kithaba was the last character from my very first Star Wars wish list to be made into an action figure. It took 29 years, but that list has finally been completed. I think I underestimated just what an impact that milestone would have on me.

I started to notice a few years back that as I was able to scratch names off my wish list, there weren't necessarily other names moving in to take their place. Now that wishlist has emptied out completely of never-before-made figures. All that's left is Barada, but since we've had 3 versions of his character made, it's just not the same as one who has never been immortalized in plastic before.

Sure there are other characters that I think would be neat to see made into figures, but nothing else has a direct link to a childhood memory. Every single character that I pointed to, when I was between the ages of 10-13 years old, and said "I want to see a toy of that guy!" has been made in one form or another. So 2012 saw a very significant chapter come to a close in my Star Wars collecting life.

If Kithaba had been the only figure released this year, the impact would still have been the same for me; but right now I'm kind of struggling to find anything to look forward to. As a result, my interest in Star Wars seems to be fading exponentially from month to month.

Without engaging on a personal level with SW anymore - either through watching the movies again, or playing with the figures - perhaps it's just time to put it in an emotional drawer and prepare yourself for closing it. That's ok, not everything can be forever. I sometimes feel that way about SW after the last few years of collecting have taken the wind out of my sails - I remember noticing Derryl's muted reaction when I told him vehicles were a large part of why I was still in the brand, not realizing he knew that the line was going to ween off of those and I'd be left with less attachment as a result, maybe that's where it is for you too and you can see it coming clearer.

And yet we still don't have a Leia or Han ANH worth a crap.

Over on Rebelscum, people were seriously expecting to see the same level of excitement and anticipation over Ep1 3D as we saw over Ep1 back in 1999 (before anyone actually saw the movie).

Talk about their self delusion! No way in hell a February release could ever get any attention at all, especially a 13-year-old post-converted 3D re-release of a film widely derided as damaging a well-loved brand.

However, when I envision store shelves clogged with unsold Episode 1 merchandise, then I realize that those people who wanted 2012 to be a repeat of 1999 actually got their wish.

OOOOOOOOOH! Good burn! Oh, but it also burned us, sad.

I'm kind of giving the toy the benefit of the doubt for being the best vehicle of the year. I told myself that I wanted to wait until I heard some actual in-hand reviews to decide if I was going to seek it out. I don't know, maybe I'm being so critical of it because I actually do want it, but I'm trying to convince myself that I don't. I'll consider taking a trip down to TRU and looking for one this weekend.

And then you said...

Originally Posted by bigbarada

Well, I bought the Speeder Bike today. They were pretty plentiful at the TRU in Springfield. I didn't take advantage of the "buy one, get one 50% off" special because I thought it would be better to only risk $24 on a toy I wasn't sure about rather than $36 on two toys I wasn't sure about (if they had had the Ewoks pack in stock, I probably would have bought that). The way the toy was presented in the packaging was not blowing me away at all and the "weathering" paint is the worst I've ever seen and is probably the best argument for why Hasbro should just stop attempting to apply "weathering" to their toys with paint. The Biker Scout himself just looks like Cheapsville from head to toe.

I took the toy home and told myself that if it didn't totally blow me away once I got it out of the packaging, then I was packing it back up and returning it next week. So, I got the Bike and the Scout out of the box and put them on the stand and the first thought that ran through my head was, "Why did I NOT take advantage of the 'buy one, get one 50% off' sale? This thing is amazing!" This is definitely one of those instances where the overall coolness factor of the toy completely overshadows any individual shortcomings. So, I think this thing has definitely earned a "best vehicle of 2012" vote from me.

Heh heh, awesome. You can return with the receipt if the sale's still in effect and get that BOGO action (if your store is cool, the register lady will just do it on the spot for you if you bring her another one, if not buy 2 on the sale and then return one using the original receipt). Glad you enjoyed it, but I do look forward to hearing more detail about why you feel the Scout figure looks cheap (aside from the paint, which, yeah).

Hasbro weathering has sucked on vehicles FOR YEARS NOW, even their better efforts like the Landspeeder still have these same goofy blobs of silver paint that look either like someone got into the silver Sharpies and went to town, or like a robot sneezed on the vehicle. I am considering tracking down some ultra-fine-grit paper and taking the solid silver down on mine.

Darth Vader is becoming the Mickey Mouse of Star Wars.

"In Brooklyn, a castle, is where dwell I"

The use of a lightsaber does not make one a Jedi, it is the ability to not use it.

I don't think it's fair to say JT is being negative. His review seemed kind of harsh but he has always criticised toy releases in incredible detail, even stuff he loves. Almost like a fine wine connoisseur.

It's no secret I have been frustrated with distribution, retcons and what seems to be every market cutting corners by delivering inferior product at higher prices. I used to buy stuff I really didn't feel I had to have just to support the line in hopes that things would improve but you gotta draw the line somewhere.

I hate change even though it's inevitable. Bringing Darth Maul back on TCW just didn't shock me with how the Star Wars franchise is handled by different media. I do enjoy watching TCW with my kids and the stories have come a long way since season 1. I would hope they don't continue to milk it though. I'd like to see them move on to Luke and Han's adventures during the rebellion or something. It certainly seems a great many things these days are either prototype by design or a remake of a formula that worked before. I grew up reading comics and for 30 some years there was continuity. Now days though they throw that out the window. I didn't start reading Spider-Man from his first appearance. I was born in '81. But I grew to love the characters so much that I had to pick up reprints and trades. Like with Star Wars that is what keeps something alive for decades. With all the fresh starts and relaunches you won't have that. Not one overwhelming fan base but several niche groups. That's where I see Star Wars heading. A divided fan base.

I was happy to hear Disney bought Lucasfilm. I like their pirate movies and they own Marvel and have done a decent job of letting Marvel do their thing. George seems to ***** as much as the fanboys do these days. His heart just isn't in it anymore. I am glad we will be able to see new movies even if they don't flow with the expanded universe stuff I have grown to love over the last ten years or so.

I don't understand why 2011 was such a bad year. Snowspeeders, Tauntauns, a really cool Jango, Dagobah Landing Luke, Zam Wessel and a brand new Wicket really had me excited for what could be done with the line if Hasbro could keep it up. Was the new AT-AT released too or was that 2010? Either way that thing is an amazing playset/vehicle. 2012 on the other hand has made me all but give up on the toys. I collect Transformers too and I have seen costs go up and quality drop like a rock. I was excited for the new Darth Maul figure. Looked every bit as promising as TVC Jango. It had an amazing sculpt and accessories but do I dare say articulation has become a gimmick or that often times it seems pointless? I love dynamically posing my figures but sometimes I feel that there is so much poseability that a toy no longer becomes fun to play with or even on display looks odd with all the joints. My chief grief with Maul is that the plastic used seemed so flimsy and rubbery like a Battle Droid. It just feels inferior to other figures. I bought Hoth Luke and Nom Anor online. Two each at twice the MSRP. After opening Luke I felt so disappointed I didn't even bother opening one of my Nom Anors. It didn't even have an plorin boll eye. Just two regular ones. I don't know what to say. I loved the NJO books. They spanned some of the best years of my life and whenever I hear a character like Corran Horn, Jaina, Jacen or Anakin Solo is coming out as a figure I jump at them no matter how lame they might be.

I passed on Qui-Gon. Love the character and would have loved one on vintage card. But it's a figure I already have and in spite of there being a more modern and uniform version of his lightsaber they still refuse to release him with it instead of the version we have been getting with every release since TPM was first put on the big screen. The head is a bit goofy too.

I was really looking forward to the new Naboo Fighter. Especially since many of the features suggested in the Hasbro Q&A were put into it. Sadly all I saw were shelves crammed with re-releases. I couldn't afford to buy a whole case of vehicles I already have online just for one new ship. I am sorry but it really takes the wind out of my sails to see new and exciting product (vehicles and figures) short packed or unavailable because a company is trying to save a buck and cut corners by wrapping old tooling up in a new package. That on top of the rising costs and poor quality plain ****es me off. Then we as consumers get blamed for not drinking the cool-aid and buying the crap.

For me the highlight was the Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon with light up sabers. If I remember correctly they were due out in March/April. I found a couple just before Christmas. The LEDs are blindingly bright! They have articulation, not the greatest but I am enjoying them so much more than any other Star Wars figures I own at this point. Since online orders for them seemed non-existant unless you ordered a case I was afraid I would never see them. Well worth the $20 I paid. I certainly hope Hasbro plans to release Luke, Ben Kenobi, and Vader in with light up sabers. They are far better than the old light up figures from POTF however I hope they don't go too crazy and release every Jedi and Sith because the novelty would wear off quick.

In a nutshell I would rather see less articulation and more accessories like the Destroyer Droid with blast effect and shield bubble or build a droid even though I never felt compelled to buy a whole wave to complete a droid.

As far as games go I loved Battlefront 2. I bought a new PS2 last spring because I knew my current one was about to burn out, just so I could play certain games like BF2, Rogue Galaxy, MGS and Resident Evil. With the Metal Gear HD collection and RE6 Anthology I have 2 games total that keep my PS2 from becoming obsolete.

The new speeder bike looked great. I couldn't tell if the Bikerscout was new at all. Adding a new joint to a Stormtrooper every year just never justified me purchasing each new version. The speederbike is even on a clear stand and positioned in a window box that I could proudly display it without even opening it. I still passed it up though in favor of some other things that are more of a priority for me at this point.

I don't play games online. I like having a friend, my cousin, wife or kids in the room with me and playing. The whole online thing is lost on me. Kind of like facebook. Most of my friends message me on there than text or call my phone. Wtf? I thought it was bad when people started texting instead of calling. Guess I just value human interaction more. Lol. Look at me, 31 going on 60.

Going forward? I am looking forward to the new Mara Jade and Anakin figures. I am hoping the Naboo Fighter will get a re-release (thanks for informing me it does indeed have landing gear). The new trilogy of books focusing on Jaina might be cool and explain how the imperial knights are established (I would still love to see some Legacy characters made into figures), the new movies though down the road are something I look forward to. Other than that? I don't know. Maybe it's time to start putting all the money I used to spend on Star Wars and Transformers into a hobby car.

We also got Star Wars Kinect in 2012. My daughters love the Jedi Danc stuff and I find the parody lyrics amusing. My sons enjoy being Rancors and the exclusive R2 360 is pretty neat. My first X-Box so it wasn't like I went out of my way to get it.

I forgot to mention we got a really cool Slave-1 last year. I passed it up because the extra $25 in a Jedi Starfighter and another $25 at least in figures bumped the cost way too high for me to justify the purchase. This is why Hasbro likely decided it didn't sell well enough and is giving us a single figure scale version for 2013 instead of re-releasing TCW version individually and/or repainting it in ESB colors.

It's just a shame and I'm sorry there isn't anything more I can do about it. As a fan base we have told Hasbro our complaints until we are blue in the face and I know from the administrators interviews with the Star Wars team that they think a lot like us but their hands are tied by retailers and Hasbro corporate. The only thing I know left to do is speak with my wallet and not buy anymore until things get better. Maybe when there is enough lack of sales Hasbro execs and retailers will start listening again. It's just like politics, the people have the power, they just don't know it anymore.

Sorry for the multiple posts. Mobile isn't the best media for commenting on forums.

Wow, long time no see! I just checked, it's been almost a year to the day since you last posted! I'm not allowed to tell you the username on the email, but does knowing it's at comcast.net help? Or we could just stick with this new one, that's fine too.

I don't think it's fair to say JT is being negative. His review seemed kind of harsh but he has always criticised toy releases in incredible detail, even stuff he loves. Almost like a fine wine connoisseur.

Thanks, that's very kind of you.

It's no secret I have been frustrated with distribution, retcons and what seems to be every market cutting corners by delivering inferior product at higher prices. I used to buy stuff I really didn't feel I had to have just to support the line in hopes that things would improve but you gotta draw the line somewhere.

Seems like every collector right now is feeling that way, to lesser or greater degree. Just a bad last few years, although it is nice to find the bright spots as we do in these YIRs.

I hate change even though it's inevitable. Bringing Darth Maul back on TCW just didn't shock me with how the Star Wars franchise is handled by different media. I do enjoy watching TCW with my kids and the stories have come a long way since season 1. I would hope they don't continue to milk it though. I'd like to see them move on to Luke and Han's adventures during the rebellion or something. It certainly seems a great many things these days are either prototype by design or a remake of a formula that worked before. I grew up reading comics and for 30 some years there was continuity. Now days though they throw that out the window. I didn't start reading Spider-Man from his first appearance. I was born in '81. But I grew to love the characters so much that I had to pick up reprints and trades. Like with Star Wars that is what keeps something alive for decades. With all the fresh starts and relaunches you won't have that. Not one overwhelming fan base but several niche groups. That's where I see Star Wars heading. A divided fan base.

Maul is coming back again next week, I believe.

What a good idea, having a show about Luke & Han's adventures during the rebellion would be awesome, there's 3 years between ANH and ESB that would make a great animated series - it's the same amount of time between AOTC and ROTS, and they fit Clone Wars in there... twice! There's a lot of ideas from the very oldest EU - novels and Marvel comics - that could help spur ideas for a show like that without stepping on too many toes. It seems like the current animation studio Lucasfilm has going now would be perfect for it.

As for throwing out old EU, keep in mind that before the '90s these stories would just step all over each other since, as you said, there was no continuity - so while Marvel would be saying and doing something for a while, a novel might come by and say the polar opposite. The "just off screen" stuff used to be looser when there wasn't an industry behind it. I don't mind a continuity doing the same thing, stepping on those toes, but it'd be nice if it was loose enough to allow more stories from the OT, it seems like the OT has been deadlocked for too long - then again, I dunno what the brand new Star Wars #1 from Dark Horse is about, maybe it's covering that area again.

Originally Posted by RendarStillLives

I don't understand why 2011 was such a bad year. Snowspeeders, Tauntauns, a really cool Jango, Dagobah Landing Luke, Zam Wessel and a brand new Wicket really had me excited for what could be done with the line if Hasbro could keep it up. Was the new AT-AT released too or was that 2010? Either way that thing is an amazing playset/vehicle. 2012 on the other hand has made me all but give up on the toys. I collect Transformers too and I have seen costs go up and quality drop like a rock. I was excited for the new Darth Maul figure. Looked every bit as promising as TVC Jango. It had an amazing sculpt and accessories but do I dare say articulation has become a gimmick or that often times it seems pointless? I love dynamically posing my figures but sometimes I feel that there is so much poseability that a toy no longer becomes fun to play with or even on display looks odd with all the joints. My chief grief with Maul is that the plastic used seemed so flimsy and rubbery like a Battle Droid. It just feels inferior to other figures. I bought Hoth Luke and Nom Anor online. Two each at twice the MSRP. After opening Luke I felt so disappointed I didn't even bother opening one of my Nom Anors. It didn't even have an plorin boll eye. Just two regular ones. I don't know what to say. I loved the NJO books. They spanned some of the best years of my life and whenever I hear a character like Corran Horn, Jaina, Jacen or Anakin Solo is coming out as a figure I jump at them no matter how lame they might be.

I passed on Qui-Gon. Love the character and would have loved one on vintage card. But it's a figure I already have and in spite of there being a more modern and uniform version of his lightsaber they still refuse to release him with it instead of the version we have been getting with every release since TPM was first put on the big screen. The head is a bit goofy too.

2011 looks good compared to 2012, but at the end of 2011 we had very few new Clone Wars figures compared to the years prior, a price increase, a TVC wave of pure recards that dominated shelves, the live-action show had just been effectively canceled instead of being a year away from airing, Hasbro SW Q&A died, distribution disasters, and there were only 2 new vehicles - the Republic Attack Shuttle, and the AV-7 walking cannon - and the Target Vintage Tauntaun and Landspeeder sets came out $10 higher than they were designed to be. The Snowspeeder mold was actually from 2010, wasn't the vintage package version also from then? And that Jango, while cool, is only a slight change from the Evolutions one from 2008 (just the cloak, redesigned rocket and jetpack, and the forearm blades, IIRC). The new AT-AT was in summer 2010.

Transformers in 2012 was brutal with cost hikes coming at the same time as quality going down and product size dropping, if it weren't for a few bright spots like Masterpiece Optimus and Thundercracker, TFP Vehicon and Wheeljack, and the GDO releases I don't think that brand would have survived 2012 at all. Being a collector of both SW and TF in 2012 was so painful.

I thought about calling out TVC Darth Maul, but when I was looking at the figure the sculpt on the horns is so soft and too big, the hood doesn't fit correctly, he doesn't have a mid-torso universal joint despite being probably the most gymnastic character in the SW universe, and his wrist controller is permanently sculpted to his gauntlet. It's a good figure, but I was hoping after Hasbro talked about TVC being figures we collectors "would never have to buy again" from being so spot-on that this new Maul would be sharper and more dynamic than it turned out - especially with the Savage Opress having such a good execution not long before.

Your point about articulation is understandable, Hasbro has scaled back on the mid-torso articulation already for partly that reason I think. I've always preferred more expressive articuation, even as a kid I took GI Joe ARAH figures over Star Wars much of the time because they were more poseable, but sometimes articulation does get in the way of just enjoying a figure - either from tangling the experience, or uglying up the sculpt.

About the eye thing on Nom Anor, they are different, his right eye has a black pupil and his left is all blue in the iris area, but they should have made the right eye brown instead of blue. They did try to match the art they used, it just didn't execute well. I feel your pain on the disappointments though.

Where did they do a better Qui-Gon saber accessory? The one they use most often is the blobby oversized simple mess from 1999, I can't remember a usable one - they did the Saga one with the removable blade, but they had so much breakage that Hasbro stays away from them now. They do need to fix that, and get QGJ a better head sculpt and nicer arms.

I was really looking forward to the new Naboo Fighter. Especially since many of the features suggested in the Hasbro Q&A were put into it. Sadly all I saw were shelves crammed with re-releases. I couldn't afford to buy a whole case of vehicles I already have online just for one new ship. I am sorry but it really takes the wind out of my sails to see new and exciting product (vehicles and figures) short packed or unavailable because a company is trying to save a buck and cut corners by wrapping old tooling up in a new package. That on top of the rising costs and poor quality plain ****es me off. Then we as consumers get blamed for not drinking the cool-aid and buying the crap.

Testify! Someone is deluded thinking the market could bear that many Jedi Starfighters for that long. You steal variety from the shelves and of course it's going to languish. And the choices of vehicles - super old podracer vehicles, more Jedi Starfighters, the tiny Sith Infiltrator, the green AT-AP, the V-19 Torrent - nobody was dying for any of this stuff, half of it was Hasbro buying into the TPM overhype, the other half is just laziness, picking prequel-era stuff to get more use out of a mold.

The new speeder bike looked great. I couldn't tell if the Bikerscout was new at all. Adding a new joint to a Stormtrooper every year just never justified me purchasing each new version. The speederbike is even on a clear stand and positioned in a window box that I could proudly display it without even opening it. I still passed it up though in favor of some other things that are more of a priority for me at this point.

100% new Biker Scout, this has come up enough from collectors that I guess Hasbro should have put a comment about that on the box. In person, it looks much nicer IMO than the VOTC one from a few years ago - helmet is better to scale, shoulders aren't so big, sculpt is sharper. They were planning a single-carded release, who knows now.

I don't play games online. I like having a friend, my cousin, wife or kids in the room with me and playing. The whole online thing is lost on me. Kind of like facebook. Most of my friends message me on there than text or call my phone. Wtf? I thought it was bad when people started texting instead of calling. Guess I just value human interaction more. Lol. Look at me, 31 going on 60.

Yeah, WTF grandpa, LOL? If you don't play games online, does that mean you are only playing the single player version of Battlefront 2? That's tragic, the online experience was so good back in the day, I loved my crew.

Going forward? I am looking forward to the new Mara Jade and Anakin figures. I am hoping the Naboo Fighter will get a re-release (thanks for informing me it does indeed have landing gear). The new trilogy of books focusing on Jaina might be cool and explain how the imperial knights are established (I would still love to see some Legacy characters made into figures), the new movies though down the road are something I look forward to. Other than that? I don't know. Maybe it's time to start putting all the money I used to spend on Star Wars and Transformers into a hobby car.

Last year it was Ralph McQuarrie art for me, this year I guess it'll be frames to put that art up on my walls.

Originally Posted by RendarStillLives

We also got Star Wars Kinect in 2012. My daughters love the Jedi Danc stuff and I find the parody lyrics amusing. My sons enjoy being Rancors and the exclusive R2 360 is pretty neat. My first X-Box so it wasn't like I went out of my way to get it.

I forgot to mention we got a really cool Slave-1 last year. I passed it up because the extra $25 in a Jedi Starfighter and another $25 at least in figures bumped the cost way too high for me to justify the purchase. This is why Hasbro likely decided it didn't sell well enough and is giving us a single figure scale version for 2013 instead of re-releasing TCW version individually and/or repainting it in ESB colors.

It's just a shame and I'm sorry there isn't anything more I can do about it. As a fan base we have told Hasbro our complaints until we are blue in the face and I know from the administrators interviews with the Star Wars team that they think a lot like us but their hands are tied by retailers and Hasbro corporate. The only thing I know left to do is speak with my wallet and not buy anymore until things get better. Maybe when there is enough lack of sales Hasbro execs and retailers will start listening again. It's just like politics, the people have the power, they just don't know it anymore.

Sorry for the multiple posts. Mobile isn't the best media for commenting on forums.

Glad to hear your family enjoys SW Kinect, it looked like fun but got a lot of harsh reviews. I don't have an xbox so I could only pay attention from the fan perspective.

Slave I was summer 2010, it IS planned to get an ESB re-release this year, who knows if it'll be cheaper when it does.

Don't worry about the multiple posts, I'll put them back together.

Darth Vader is becoming the Mickey Mouse of Star Wars.

"In Brooklyn, a castle, is where dwell I"

The use of a lightsaber does not make one a Jedi, it is the ability to not use it.

Thanks. I appreciate the help but I will just stick with the new screen name. I remember the email address, just not the password for it so even if you sent my login info to it I couldn't retrieve it.

As far as TCW goes some of my favorite episodes were Obi-Wan going under cover. Alec Guines's portrayal of Ben seemed more like a mischievious old man while the prequels have him act like a by the book Jedi in TPM, kind of a hypocrite in AOTC and getting more care free by ROTS. I like seeing that character growth. Plo Koon is also a character I have never thought much of but has become a favorite because of the cartoon.

As for Transformers the TFP Vehicon was a engineering marvel! I passed on the MP-10 Optimus. There are things I like about it compared to the MP-01 version like the scale and trailer but there were just as many cons (pardon the pun). I am crossing my fingers for a white repaint and different trailer that becomes armor so I can finally have a masterpiece Ultra Magnus. TFP Ultra Magnus is pretty cool but he could use a lot of paint to bring out his sculpted details.

Sadly Hasbro's big sell for 2011 barely made it to stores with Bruticus. I saw 3 of the Combaticons once and never again. Some online places had the set going for more than $100. I received both the retail and G2 versions for Christmas (minus the retail brawl). I have mixed emotions about Bruticus but have already seen wave 3 hit stores and unless they refresh the Combaticons I have a feeling a lot of folks missed their chance on getting it.

My TVC Darth Maul's lightsaber hilt doesn't plug into his belt. The hole is too shallow. I wasn't sure if it was just mine but between the front of his cloak and his arm there doesn't seem to be a lot of room to hang it there anyways.

I only ever saw shirtless Opress. I never found the armored version which I wanted. I could have picked up the 3-pack I suppose but it just didn't appeal to me as a set.

Hm. Both the Nom Anors I have look like blue pupils and I guess I didn't notice if one eye was more black because I chalked it up to poor paint applications. Lol. I guess from reading the books I expected it to look a lot more different than Columbo's glass eye.

I was referring to the Saga Blue and Gold card for Qui-Gon's lightsaber. I know they have gone away from using the removable blades but they still use a lot of the hilts from those and have either made new sculpts or simply molded them as one piece. I figured they could do the same with Qui-Gon's saber. It was slimmer and had the burst effect as is standard on all lightsabers these days.

Was I the only one who was able to find the light up Saber Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon? They sculpts are superior to TVC versions and the brightness of the lightsabers you have to see to believe. The articulation isn't what we have come to expect from TVC. The right arm is straight, the left arm has universal elbows as do the knees and the hips and shoulders just go back and forth. No waist, ankle or wrist articulation. Heads are on ball joints and are the best representations of the characters so far imo. The joints are well hidden too except on Kenobi's right arm if you have it bent. I just threw on their Legacy counterparts robes to hide it and the straight right arms. They are also easy to spot on pegs thanks to the big arrows on the bubble pointing to their crotches saying "try me". If you don't have them you're missing out.

From the detail I saw on TVC AOTC Anakin's sabers I am disappointed they don't paint all the sabers so well. Almost every version of TPM Kenobi's saber in few years has been inaccurate. Just that little attention to detail and I would have picked the TVC version up.

I'm surprised the new Bikerscout didn't have a removable helmet or flip up visor since I've seen versions of it that do have that feature. Maybe it's worth another look after all. Would the feet of the new speederbike...

...peg into the slots in the back of the Republic Gunship?

Lol. I play BF2 with my kids on splitscreen. Wife gets on my case about going over gigs. Which is why I try using my phone for these posts which is unlimited. So if you can point me in the direction of someone who does unlimited gigs for a mobile hotspot at a reasonable price then you'd be making both of us happy.

Yeah. Because the last couple years have been so rough being a collector I have started to dabble in other areas like Kotobokay....whatevers artfx statues and legos. Pre-ordered my 10 year old the Jaina statue (her favorite character) but it keeps getting pushed back and I am afraid it won't be here by her birthday. I swear that thing was supposed to come out 3rd quarter 2011.

Star Wars Kinect we started the campaign but the sub games for it are more fun. It is a workout. PX90 eat your heart out. The Kinect also refuses to recognize my 4 year old for some reason much to his dismay cause we got him angry birds for it. I'm surprised you don't have an X-Box. Almost everyone I know prefers it to PS3 but me. I got it last tax season so the kids wouldn't wanna play my PS3 all the time. Lol.

Ah. I thought the big Slave-1 was 2011 because I didn't see it hit shelves til the holidays at TRU and then so it on end caps forever spring of 2012. I don't think it ever dropped below $90 on clearance. I was hoping it would. I wouldn't mind AOTC or ESB paint job. I liked it. I just wish it had been cheaper or packed with stuff I would want like a TVC Naboo Fighter. Hopefully it won't be that tiny Yoda Package one I have seen on Rebelscum. I still have my SOTE version to tide me over until we get a decent release.

I'm glad to see all the usual suspects here but I am a little surprised there aren't more responses with this thread being up for over a week.

Oh! Forgot to mention the light up Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon one more time. :-)

The bottom portion of their tunics is soft rubber and removable via tab/peg so they fit into vehicles just fine but the included instruction manual (telling you to push the belt buckle to make them light up. Wtf?) Doesn't show how to replace the batteries.

Again, sorry for all the multiple posts. You mods already do a ton of volunteer work here and I don't mean to make it any harder on you.